Arabic music in a Jewish temple? Depending on your perspective it could be post-modernism run amok or the dawn of a new Age of Aquarius. Perhaps we should qualify “Arabic”, as the music in question layers jazz into the Andalousian classical music of north Africa, and the latter, itself, is a weave of Arabic, Spanish […]

For a while Mary Coughlan seemed to be living her career backwards. She had a number one album before she ever played a gig, and a decade later found herself back at the bottom rung of the ladder. The Irish blues/jazz/soul singer may have fallen in love with music as a toddler and been singing […]

A party in the Balkans is unimaginable without two things: brass instruments and alcohol. Goran Bregovic may appear to have much the same needs. Despite the astonishing breadth of music that he composes (for performance and film) a brass band is never far away, and nor, if his unforgettable 2008 Concert Hall appearance is any […]

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About John Shand

John Shand is a playwright, librettist, author, journalist, drummer and critic. He has written about music (and occasionally theatre) for The Sydney Morning Herald for over 20 years. His books include Don’t Shoot The Best Boy! – The Film Crew At Work (Currency), Jazz – The Australian Accent (UNSW Press) and The Phantom Of The Soap Opera(Wizard). In 2017 he won the inaugural Arts Journalism Award at the Walkleys, the nation’s preeminent awards for journalism. He lives in Katoomba (NSW) with she who is called The Mouse. He enjoys wine, and wishes he could say in moderation.